Next blog

I'm going to write a little intro before I write my next entry.

A good friend of mine told me that I should write about what terrifies me most on here. What I think my weaknesses are and what's holding me back from the next chapter in my life.

I think it's a good idea to put those down in writing because it will be easier to defeat those and rise above; at least, that's what I'm hoping it will do. So stay tuned for the next chapter of Ashley Turner's life. It should be a good one.

Sweet

Honey is sweet. Honey is kind and a typical do-gooder. But Honey is tired of being good and sweet and kind and boring. Honey wanted to be bad.

Honey is a waitress. Honey goes to her job and works dutifully and well. But where is all this goodness getting me? She thought.

Honey is a good daughter. She lives at home with her parents and does not give them trouble. Honey is always home on time, calls her parents to let them know where she is and helps with the bills. Where is the fun in that?

Honey licked her lips as she stared up at the neon sign in front of her. The phone in her pocket buzzed for the second time; "Home" flashed on the screen. For the second time, Honey pressed ignore. The breeze nipped around the flash of her legs not covered by her short skirt and her knee-high boots. Honey shivered in anticipation and pushed through the door.

Honey hiccuped loudly and then giggled. The arm draped around her shoulders tightened slightly and pulled her in closer. You taste sweet...like honey, the voice slurred in her ear. Honey laughed, head thrown back and flung her laughter to the stars. How can honey taste sweet when she was being so bad?

It's been a while

I would like to stop making excuses for myself. So. Here is a new blog, sorry for the delay.

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago and it just took me a while to put it up, but this theme is happiness. I wrote it with pencil and paper first, then transferred it onto the blog.

I touch the pencil to paper and try to catch the tail end of the thoughts that are racing around in my head. Like the elusive thoughts, the definition of happiness seems to always be out of reach.

How do you define something amorphous? How do you assign one or more lines of paper to a feeling so interchangeable? By describing certain moments in time where happiness was the prevalent thought in my mind.

I hear the blood rushing in my ears, feel my heartbeat thudding along in time with my footfalls. My eyes roll heavenward to take in the blue sky with clouds lazily drifting by. I take in a deep breath and close my eyes as the smell of nature fills my lungs and one thought drifts through my mind like the clouds in the sky: happiness...

The door slams behind me and I slump on the stairs, defeat rounding my shoulders. My breath escapes lungs and runs out of my mouth, forming a forlorn sigh that bounces loudly in the big, empty house. A tear rolls soundlessly down my cheek as I think about what a horrible day I've had. Just then the clicking sounds of my dogs toenails on the hardwood floor draw my attention and my eyes up from the floor, focusing on his little doggy smile aimed my way. Max, my Yorkshire Terrier, smiles at me whenever he's happy to see me and it makes my own lips turn up at the corners. His joy at seeing me lifts my own heart and I draw him into my arms, kissing his little snout in gratitude. As the bad day slowly evaporates, one word quickly takes the empty space left behind: happiness...

I settle in to the fluffy pillow behind me and pull the warm blanket up closer to my chin. A book sits on the table beside me and a sigh of contentment drifts out of my mouth. I'm not sure if this moment could be made any better. I look around the room that I'm currently resting in and breathe in the quiet and dim lighting. The sushi pub at my job is usually filled with people, blaring televisions and noisy chatter, but currently it is calm and peaceful; inviting me to pick up my book and enjoy my break from the calamity. Before I immerse myself in the world of my book, I think about what this moment in time feels like to me: happiness...




Next theme: Sweet.

Lazy Sundays

I have jotted down some stuff for my first theme: urges. I'll copy it down here just to get the ball rolling. Now. Just to clarify my writing style, each week will be different. Some weeks I may write a short story, some weeks I may write a continuing story, some may be a poem, and others just feelings written down. Here's some ramblings for the previous week.

So many urges inside.
One person cannot hold them all.
Urges to be good; urges to be bad.

I'm a daughter. I'm a Christian.
Both urges seem good.
But when I feel that pull,
I decide to go bad.

There are good urges.
Be a good daughter; respect.
But the other side, they're bad.
Drink, cuss, steal; I'm consumed.

A fire burns inside.
Good and bad rages.
It's a never ending battle.
And who knows which side will win.

Be an asset to your community,
and give your all for free.
But then you need to earn your keep.
Go out, work; then fall.



Promise I'm not always this melodramatic :-D It's just been a stressful week. Okay, next week I will post a new theme and some more writin' for you guys!

Procrastination at its best

Okay guys, here's the deal. I know I was supposed to post the themes by now, but guess what in the world happened. (Drum roll please, because I know you all are dying to know this) My laptop has passed away. *Moment of silence*

The screen is actually destroyed, and I can't see anything. But I've got big plans for this blog yet. As soon as I fix my computer (or get a new one), OR gain access to Illustrator or Photoshop, I'm going to design the header for this blog. So. Be patient, fair readers. I'll write you another love letter soon :)

Real life is hard

Since I graduated over a year ago, my life has been making it from paycheck to paycheck. Before college, and during, I was convinced that all I needed was a college degree and I would be ushered into the Real World with a ready-made job with a nice paycheck and a cushy life. Wrong.

My friends around me are making things happen for themselves. They are designing blogs, furthering their education post-graduation and filling their portfolios with their work. But a lot of the things they are doing for their careers and with their degrees are easy to show. That is my good friend Janet and she is amazing at what she does.

But for me, it's not easy to put in jpeg format and post online for all to see. I'm a communicator. To see what I do best, come to Kanpai of Tokyo and watch me interact with guests at our restaurant. I use my skills that I learned from Clemson University to handle the public at that job. Even though I feel I am utilizing what I learned in school, I still feel I haven't reached my full potential and I won't be able to at this job.

I want to flex my literary muscles and actually work at something I'm good at for a paycheck. I love to write. That's simple. But how do I get a job that includes writing as a job asset? I guess it could be simple as well: start writing on this blog.

I'm going to take away from my friends Janet and Amanda and come up with a theme each week and write about it. (Go here to witness amazing converted into pictures and a blog).

Tomorrow I will start showcasing my skills and building up my portfolio. Stay tuned.

Long awaited

Hello readers who happen to stumble upon my blogspot (by accident or on purpose), welcome! I decided to revive this blog and use it to show off my superior writing skills (ha). I wanted to discuss an advertisement I created for the Kanpai of Tokyo bar this past year.

If you're a little slow like I can be sometimes, the picture to the right is the advertisement I created. My manager came up to me one day and asked if I would like to help her create an ad for our new pomegranate martinis and I was all for it. I love being creative.

So I started out with just the picture of a pomegranate martini. I know I wanted something catchy on it and also tie in to the popularity in the pomegranate martinis. I put together the sentence up top and was thrilled. I thought it looked like an ad you would read in a magazine. Short and simple, enticing the customer to see what they really have been missing out on.

The font choices to me were easy. The main message was meant to emulate an ad that really would be in the magazine, so I went with a font that seems simple, plain, and easy to read. I chose the one at the bottom because italic script always seems so...fancy, so I went with that one.

So there is an original Ashley Turner, guys. How proud are you?? I know I'm super proud and I have completed my task of showing off my *ahem* superior writing skills for the day.